


He died a Hero.

by Shxkita



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: AU where Peter reverses the snap, Angst, Family Feels, Feels, Gen, How Do I Tag, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Sorry, Irondad, Mild Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 12:33:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20115169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shxkita/pseuds/Shxkita
Summary: It shouldn't have ended that way."It should have been me, it should have been me, it should have been me..."He repeats over and over again in a cracked motif.Tony looks down, vision misty from endless tears cascading down his face - his sobs dry and raspy. His hands tugging harshly on his hair, it becoming increasingly more painful as time goes by, but the billionaire doesn't care.He stares, no glares, at his reflection in the tranquil lake from his kneeled down position in front of it.His body shaking frantically with strained cries of agony - he knows the others are there watching: Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, god even Morgan... But he doesn't care.He can remember it so clearly, the image forever a scar in his mind.~An AU where Peter reverses the snap that defeats Thanos and Tony is left heart broken - but what if Peter left behind something that might just help Tony overcome the tragic death of his intern?





	He died a Hero.

It shouldn't have ended that way.

"It should have been me, it should have been me, it should have been me..." 

He repeats over and over again in a cracked motif.

Tony looks down, vision misty from endless tears cascading down his face - his sobs dry and raspy. His hands tugging harshly on his hair, it becoming increasingly more painful as time goes by, but the billionaire doesn't care. 

He stares, no glares, at his reflection in the tranquil lake from his kneeled down position in front of it. 

His body shaking frantically with strained cries of agony - he knows the others are there watching: Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, god even Morgan... But he doesn't care. 

He can remember it so clearly, the image forever a scar in his mind. 

It may have only been a week, but Tony knew this was something that was going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

He had just came back from May Parker's, much like the other three times he'd been to visit her since initially telling her the news - she had just screamed at him. 

Her body vibrating with a mixture of grief and undying rage, screeching at the billionaire to go away. 

Hell, she'd even thrown a mug at him. 

But Tony couldn't blame the women, not even slightly. Not only had she just returned from being dusted away for five years but... 

Her only living relative was dead.

Peter Parker was dead and there was no way to bring him back.

He raises his other hand, clutching onto the fabric of his shirt placed over his heart. He could feel it thrashing about in his chest, it yearning after the boy who he viewed as a son.

That's right he... He saw the young boy from Queens as a son. He could picture his bright beaming face when Tony would show him something new in the lab so vividly; he could still feel the arms of the young hero wrap around him in a hug. If he tried hard enough, he could still hear the hushed giggles of his prodigy.

He hadn't slept, not since it happened. When he closed his eyes, he'd see the tear stained face of the young boy, Tony would hear the piercing sound of Peter's fingers snapping together. 

But most of all, he'd hear the boys final words ringing in his head continuously without ceasing. 

"I am Spider-Man." 

Those three singular words plaguing him, repeating like a melancholic tune in his head repeatedly.

His breathing quickly becoming laboured, pulling in air difficult, his hands and fingers washed away in a wave of tingles - terror clawing up his throat and squeezing it tightly, without remorse. 

Tony instantly recognises the symptoms and hastily stands up, trying his hardest to remain calm. He staggers towards his work shop, keeping his head down on the way - bashing into anything and everything on his way.

After descending the stairs down to his lab at his home tucked away between the trees - Tony crumbles to the ground as soon as FRIDAY opens the door; his hands and knees cold from the surface of concrete against his skin. 

Tony pants rapidly, the feeling of horror churning in his stomach - his lungs heavy with a never ending pain. 

His hands shake violently as he sits up, leaning against the wall behind him. He pulls at the hair on his head, yanking at it in an attempt to feel anything but an all consuming sense of guilt.

"It should have been me, it should have been me, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!" 

The billionaire bellows into the otherwise quietness of the room. 

"It should have been me..." 

Tony expresses in a choaked whimper. Letting go of his hair, he lowers his fiercely shaking hands to cover his face. 

His tears continue to tumble down the brunettes face in a never ending stream, Tony's eyes red and puffy. 

He was broken, shattered to pieces - the world was cruel, fate was brutal. 

This wasn't how it was supposed to end, this wasn't where Peter's story should have ended - half of the universe may have been restored, but Tony's was crushed.

"Excuse me, Mr. Stark?" 

A voice, a robotic one, fills the lab. 

"That's not Fri..." 

Tony mutters, his voice hoarse.

"Karen?" 

Tony removers his hands from his face, they flop by his side. 

"That would be me,"

The AI confirms, voice monotone. 

"I believe I have something you may wish to see." 

Anxiety bubbles at the back of the billionaires throat, he traces an arc reactor shape with his finger across the floor. 

"Very well, Karen." 

Saying her name feeling wrong, she is, was, Peter's AI - not his.

A projector on the ceiling in the centre of the room springs to life, it flashing the Stark Industries logo onto a nearby wall before cutting to... 

Peter. 

Tony's breath hitches at seeing the paused image of the bright smiling boy, clearly taken way back before the snap. 

Despite his inner turmoil and the defiance of his mind shrieking at him to turn away - Tony can't take his eyes away from the joyfully grinning boy on the screen. 

After a few silent seconds, the video begins to play. 

"Hey, Mr. Stark!"

It's like a punch to the gut, all the air is knocked out of Tony's lungs as the boy from Queen's bright and vibrant voice lightens up the room. 

"It's currently Farther's day, isn't that neat? I was swinging through the city and saw so many cheerful people in the park, playing catch with their Father's and Father figures." 

The young Spider explains turning the camera around, quickly showing off his red and blue suit before positioning the camera to face towards a park filled with children playing with what appears to be their Father's. 

"Isn't it cute?" 

Peter's voice is heard from behind the camera, before he quickly turns it around to face him again.

"After... After Uncle Ben died," 

Peter visibly gulps at the mention of his Uncle.

"I thought I'd never have another Father Figure, his death left me with a hole in my heart that I honestly thought could never be filled." 

Tony's own heart braking as he listens to the usually lively boy recall the events of his past. 

"But... Well... That was before I met you, Mr. Stark!" 

Tony's eyes open wide, his mouth slightly agape as he stares at the boy in the video. 

"You do so much for me... You make me suits to keep me safe, you teach me things in the lab, despite you denying it - I know you always track my suit to make sure I get home safely." 

Peter in the video giggles, despite the circumstances, Tony also finds himself chuckling along. 

"But that's not all, you always make time for me. From going out for ice cream to having movie nights and although you prefer Star Trek - you never complain when I put Star Wars on, even though we've watched all of them at least a hundred times before!"

At this Peter's face lights up into an intoxicating grin, Tony's own face pulling up into a small smile of his own.

"And when we cuddle, those are the best! Don't tell May, but... Your hugs are always my favourite." 

Peter's eyes start to brim with tears. 

"That's why... I need to make this video." 

His hand comes up to his hair and Peter starts to twirl a single curl around his finger - a nervous habit Tony had picked up on. 

"Mr. Stark, I view you as... As my Dad." 

Peter chokes on the word 'Dad', the tears he was clearly attempting to keep at bay spilling out. 

Tony viewed Peter as his son, but he had no idea that he viewed him as his Dad... A loud whimper escapes Tony's lips and he's crying again, harder then before. 

"I-I hope that's okay..." 

Peter expresses in a shy voice. 

"Of course it is! P-Peter... I see you as my son!" 

Tony cries out, knowing full well it's just a video and he couldn't actually see or respond - but he didn't care.

"However there is another reason I made this video," 

Peter's head drops to look down at the roof below him that's he's sat on. 

"if you're seeing this video... Then... I-I'm..." 

Peter squeezes his eyes shut, his voice barley more then a whisper.

"Then I'm dead." 

And Tony's heart leaps out of his chest, he clenches his fists - his knuckles turning white. 

"I-I needed to record this video, just incase anything happened to m-me... Which in our line of work is way more common then I'd like to admit." 

Peter's lip quivers. 

"Knowing you, you're probably blaming yourself for my d-death, right?" 

Tony brings up a hand to cover his mouth, of course Peter would know, he always had a talent for being able to predict and tell the billionaire's emotions.

Peter looks back up at the camera, a look of determination in his eyes.

"Well... D... Don't. I know you and I know you would have done everything in your power to save me, you were always like that. Always watching out for me and I know this time... This time there would have been no difference." 

The Peter in the video bites his lip in an attempt to tame the quivering. 

Tony felt sick. 

He always thought of others, Peter never blamed anyone - his heart pure and full of so much care and compassion. He was so much more then Tony, so much more then anyone. 

And although it hurt, it hurt so much that Tony couldn't save him... The man with the iron persona couldn't help but listen to the boy's words.

"I know you're sad, heck, sad probably doesn't even begin to cover it..." 

Peter looks oddly apologetic. 

"But you can't let this stop you, you need to keep going - move on with your life. The world needs Iron Man, but most importantly the world needs you - Tony Stark." 

A single tear falls down Tony's face, it landing with a light drip on the concrete floor below. 

"S-So go out there, protect the world! Heck, protect the whole entire universe!"

An aura of confidence radiates off of the boy that Tony could feel, despite it only being a video.

"Please take care of May for me, oh and Ned and MJ... Don't forget to look after Happy and Pepper too." 

Peter looks into the camera longingly, Tony feels as if he's talking directly to his soul.

"And make sure to look after yourself too, Mr. Stark." 

A small smile places itself on the Spider's lips. 

"Thank you for everything you've ever done for me, my life may be over, but yours isn't. Let me be the flame that burns on in your heart and guides you."

A tear trails down Peter's dusted pink cheek, his coffee brown eyes full of so much affection. 

"I love your, Dad. Happy Father's Day." 

And with that the video ends, the projector turning off. 

Tony hugs his body tightly and despite his heavy heart, for the first time since the death of his son, yes his son - he feels the guilt that once weighed heavily on his shoulders melt away.

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week or the week after that or the week after that. 

But someday, someday everything will be okay - someday Tony Stark will be able to lift his head up high and say without a single stutter that his son died protecting the universe.

His son, Peter Parker, died a hero - he was never going to let anyone forget that.

"I love you too, son."

**Author's Note:**

> I may of cried whilst writing this. 
> 
> I'm sorry for all the feels, I swear I'll write some fluffy Irondad and Spiderson at some point! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. :)


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